Up next, the Pistons return to Detroit for their home opener against the Utah Jazz tomorrow night.
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Jeff Teague and the Atlanta Hawks look to keep rolling after their standout performance last season, opening the season against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday.
Atlanta started off slowly in the opening frame of the contest, trailing 20-10 halfway through the first, before going on a 15-5 run to tie things up at the end of the first quarter. (Majority owner Tony Ressler and Grant Hill, the front-and-center faces of the franchise’s new ownership group, watched their team courtside on Tuesday night.) The roster’s architect, Danny Ferry, is gone, and while his handiwork remains largely intact, recapturing the franchise’s historic highs – even in shorter spurts – will be a challenge unto itself. The Pistons shot 41.4% (12-29) from three-point land to the Atlanta Hawks’ 29.6% (8-27).
This… wasn’t the best start for the Atlanta Hawks. Reggie’s ball movement and dribble penetration kept the offense flowing. Carroll was the emotional leader of the Hawks, a stifling defensive player who made impressive strides offensively.
Drummond had 18 points.
Reggie Jackson stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He also held Kyle Korver to just 7 points on 3/9 shooting.
The Hawks stunned the basketball world last season when they took over the Eastern Conference and became legit contenders despite playing without a superstar player.
The question followed the Atlanta Hawks from Philips Arena to Brooklyn to Washington D.C.to their final destination, Cleveland, at the beginning of this past summer.
The 2009-10 season was the last time the Pistons won an opener – a 22-point thumping at Memphis. All five starters scored in double figures in Detroit’s stunning effort with guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope draining four 3-pointers and leading the way with 21 points.
I’m not mad about getting dominated on the glass against a player like André Drummond.
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The Pistons had a commanding 59-40 edge on the boards, again exposing the biggest issue to plague the Hawks last season. I thought we did a good job containing him one-on-one, but he’s going to get his. Atlanta hopes to get back in the win column with their 8 PM ET tipoff against the New York Knicks on TNT.
